Hundreds Celebrate Community Thanksgiving In West

WEST (AP) – Several hundred people have turned for a community Thanksgiving meal in a Central Texas town where a fertilizer plant explosion claimed 15 lives.

Organizers say the free food on Thursday included a dining opportunity for some people whose homes were destroyed in the April 17 blast.

Co-chairman Bob Nors said the midday meal has always been important to people in the area, but this year it was meaning more.

Several service organizations and religious groups have hosted the Thanksgiving meal for more than 10 years, arranging for donated food and deliveries. More than 400 meals were served Thursday, along with dozens of meals taken to older residents who couldn’t make it to the West Community Center.